Wright writes.....

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Daniel,

 

It's described as an Aspinall Class 27 (LMS/BR 3F).

 

It's an interesting kit (of some age?); there are no instructions with it (not that that matters) and the boiler is a piece of turned/milled brass tube of some thickness. Plotting positions for handrail pillars will be fun, and actually drilling through it even more so. Why the positions for the boiler bands are turned inwards, I don't know.

 

My brief is to erect the frames and build the loco/tender bodywork. Friction-fit drivers are supplied, but I'll have nothing to do with those, leaving the fiddling around to Geoff. I've made-up the little gear-mount, of course, which runs exceptionally smoothly (luck, and experience?). 

 

Has anyone else made MPD loco kits? If so, may we see, please?

 

The Nu-Cast/SEF J6 will be simpler. That's in OO, got 'proper' drivers and I've already made several.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

The Slaters 7mm Compound is like that and gives plenty of weight. Brass boiler bands are supplied. The smokebox  wrapper us however a different thing altogether. The instructions suggest binding it on after applying solder paste, then having a stiff whisky to settle your nerves before applying a blowlamp to the kit.

 

 

Jamie

[geoff west]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

'What's your plan Tony?'

 

Plan? That sounds like foresight; something I'm not too good at. 

 

A (very) big iron (75W), 145 solder, gallons of flux, asbestos fingers and a swear box the size of a coffin! That might work........

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

The large swear box is of course required for "The Domino Effect".

[t-b-g]

There was a very in depth article about building the MPD Midland Railway 3F by Steve Hall in MRJ and we have an L & Y 0-6-0 running on Narrow Road but as Ken Hill built it, I can't really comment on the building. When I say running, it is finished, painted black and has some L & Y livery on one side! The spacing of the HMRS lettering just isn't correct for this tender and the lining wasn't going well, so I stopped for a bit of "thinking time" about 5 years ago. Still thinking about it now!

[Tony Wright]

Thanks for all the comments about the MPD 0-6-0. 

 

It could throw up problems I've not encountered before.

 

Still, having built over 500 locos, and with good luck, a following wind and with welding equipment to hand, I hope to be able to make it! 

 

I'll keep you all posted....................... 

[Tony Wright]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

Tony,

 

Yes, I built an MPD Midland 3F a couple or so years ago, and posted the build on RMweb - though I can't find the thread at the moment.

 

The grooves in the boiler are indeed intended for brass boiler band, but beware - on the 3F they were in the wrong place! I ended up filling the grooves with plastic strip; sanding it down ; and fitting correctly located bands from adhesive tape.

 

The splashers were apparently intended for the undersized wheels of a proprietory chassis - I had to replace them to accommodate correctly sized / spaced wheels. (I surmised that the kit had been designed to fit an RTR chassis, and had then been upgraded with an etched chassis).

 

Take nothing for granted - check wheelbase, axle positioning, ...... everything!

 

Good luck,

John Isherwood.

Thanks John,

 

Does anyone know of a suitable 4mm drawing of an Aspinall 3F? 

 

There is one on the box lid, which appears to be to scale. The positions of the boiler bands on this match those of the indents in the boiler. Is it wise for me to assume that these are right then? 

 

The motor must not exceed 11.5 mm in width, otherwise it won't fit inside the boiler/firebox. Guess what, the customer supplied the largest type of RG?! 

 

I'm working on the J6 today - it should help me pluck up the courage to carry on with the Lanky 0-6-0!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Nick Holliday]

17 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks John,

 

Does anyone know of a suitable 4mm drawing of an Aspinall 3F? 

 

There is one on the box lid, which appears to be to scale. The positions of the boiler bands on this match those of the indents in the boiler. Is it wise for me to assume that these are right then? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

There are drawings in Barry Lane's book on L&YR locos, one at 7mm and a works drawing, together with several photos. As far as I can tell, the drawing you have, or at least the model, seems to match these as regards boiler bands. Barry also had an article in Modellers' BackTrack, Volume 2 No 2, specifically  on this class, with the same 7mm drawing, but a couple of close up views showing the cab interior and the inside motion, of the preserved example.

[cctransuk]

54 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks John,

 

Does anyone know of a suitable 4mm drawing of an Aspinall 3F? 

 

There is one on the box lid, which appears to be to scale. The positions of the boiler bands on this match those of the indents in the boiler. Is it wise for me to assume that these are right then? 

 

The motor must not exceed 11.5 mm in width, otherwise it won't fit inside the boiler/firebox. Guess what, the customer supplied the largest type of RG?! 

 

I'm working on the J6 today - it should help me pluck up the courage to carry on with the Lanky 0-6-0!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Tony,

 

The Mitsumi motor is 11.5mm. in width when mounted vertically; I would combine it with a High Level gearbox - probably a Loadhauler or a Loadhauler+.

 

 

 

This combination runs superbly and virtually silently; it really is the best way of powering these 0-6-0s.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

The MPD kits were supplied with plastikard strips which you were supposed to press into the machined grooves in the boiler, it's probably about 40 years since I built one of these kits but as far as I remember it did work. I've still got two of these kits tucked away somewhere, waiting for an L&Y layout to run them on I suppose.

[St Enodoc]

47 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

The MPD kits were supplied with plastikard strips which you were supposed to press into the machined grooves in the boiler, it's probably about 40 years since I built one of these kits but as far as I remember it did work. I've still got two of these kits tucked away somewhere, waiting for an L&Y layout to run them on I suppose.

Wigan Wallgate would make a nice model...

[MarkC]

I built 2 of the MPD Midland 3Fs when they came out, whilst still in my mid teenage years - nice models they were too. Especially when compared to the other Midland kits available - K's etc. A little basic by modern standards, but at the time they were quite advanced

 

Tony, I'll PM you about that chassis that I was supposed to collect from you at York - I'm still on my ship, by the way, but we can sort something out.

 

Mark

 

 

 

[Ray Flintoft]

8 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Daniel,

 

It's described as an Aspinall Class 27 (LMS/BR 3F).

 

It's an interesting kit (of some age?); there are no instructions with it (not that that matters) and the boiler is a piece of turned/milled brass tube of some thickness. Plotting positions for handrail pillars will be fun, and actually drilling through it even more so. Why the positions for the boiler bands are turned inwards, I don't know.

 

My brief is to erect the frames and build the loco/tender bodywork. Friction-fit drivers are supplied, but I'll have nothing to do with those, leaving the fiddling around to Geoff. I've made-up the little gear-mount, of course, which runs exceptionally smoothly (luck, and experience?). 

 

Has anyone else made MPD loco kits? If so, may we see, please?

 

The Nu-Cast/SEF J6 will be simpler. That's in OO, got 'proper' drivers and I've already made several.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Hi Tony ,

    I built 1 of these kits last year & found it quite enjoyable with no  major problems at all . Enclosed a photo of it on Sowerby Road m.p.d.

                   Cheers ,

                                       Ray.

[westerner]

Thought I'd post this photo of a sunny day's shunting at Blakeney. All my own work almost. Wagon and Brake van Parkside kits

Pannier Dapol. All weathering by me, Lamp hut Intentio kit weathered by me, Station building scratch built. Scenery erected by me. This sounds awfully big headed but I know Tony likes us to show our own work, and as I don't build locos I thought I'd show what a lot of RTR modellers do.

 

 

I also have detailed the track on the over bridge. the back scene was also painted by moi.

 

[t-b-g]

One thing we did find with the L & Y 0-6-0 was that he middle tender wheels are slightly higher than the front and back ones. On ours, when it is running, the middle wheels are clear enough of the track to stop them rotating. The design of the kit makes any alteration a major task as getting the wheels out or tinkering with the bearings is impossible without major reconstruction.

 

As I said, I didn't build it and it may be that it was a problem in the construction rather than in the kit design but if I was doing another one, I would make a conventional tender inner frame that screws in, rather than the kit design which is to solder inner tender frames to the floor, put the wheels in then solder the outer frames in.

 

I am sure somebody with Tony W's experience wouldn't have any problem spotting that well in advance! 

[MarkC]

A question - did this L&Y Aspinall Class 27 kit become part of the Craftsman range? I've got a kit in the roundtuit collection at home, but I'm sure, wracking the braincell here, that it says 'Craftsman' on the box. Am I confused, were they taken over, or was it a different kit altogether?

 

Mark

(All at sea...)

[landscapes]

38 minutes ago, Ray Flintoft said:

Hi Tony ,

    I built 1 of these kits last year & found it quite enjoyable with no  major problems at all . Enclosed a photo of it on Sowerby Road m.p.d.

                   Cheers ,

                                       Ray.

Hi Ray

 

Great photo and the layout looks very good indeed, is there a Sowerby Road MPD blog on RMweb?

 

Regards

 

David

[Hollar]

6 hours ago, t-b-g said:

There was a very in depth article about building the MPD Midland Railway 3F by Steve Hall in MRJ and we have an L & Y 0-6-0 running on Narrow Road but as Ken Hill built it, I can't really comment on the building. When I say running, it is finished, painted black and has some L & Y livery on one side! The spacing of the HMRS lettering just isn't correct for this tender and the lining wasn't going well, so I stopped for a bit of "thinking time" about 5 years ago. Still thinking about it now!

I can take no credit for the attached loco, since it was built by John Brighton from the Craftsman kit. It's miles away from my GE interests but I think the L&Y class 67 is really the epitome of the unspectacular everyday Victorian engine.  John's model catches this perfectly, trundling past with an fitted goods.

 

Tone

[LNER4479]

7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks John,

 

Does anyone know of a suitable 4mm drawing of an Aspinall 3F? 

 

There is one on the box lid, which appears to be to scale. The positions of the boiler bands on this match those of the indents in the boiler. Is it wise for me to assume that these are right then? 

 

Tony. 

I have a copy of an article in Railway Modeller April 2005 Tony, featuring the L&Y 0-6-0s. Covers the Class 27 (the so-called 'A class') and Class 28 with drawings for both; also for the superheated version of the A class with extended smokebox. If you don't have that issue to hand then I'm sure we can sort out getting a copy over to you.

 

Meanwhile ...

 

I was never going to be as fast as you but this is Day 8 (as of ... er ... early hours of this morning!) of my Covid D2 challenge so quite pleased with progress so far. No motor in it yet, mind.

Edited April 27, 2020 by LNER4479

[t-b-g]

1 hour ago, Hollar said:

I can take no credit for the attached loco, since it was built by John Brighton from the Craftsman kit. It's miles away from my GE interests but I think the L&Y class 67 is really the epitome of the unspectacular everyday Victorian engine.  John's model catches this perfectly, trundling past with an fitted goods.

 

Tone

 

I would agree completely. The 0-6-0 tender loco fussing about in a yard with a few wagons or plodding along with a goods or even a local passenger train is so typical of our railways. Not the sort of scene that attracted many photographers, who were far more interested in the express tearing by but to me, far more interesting.

 

Almost every railway company had them and compared to 4-6-0 or 4-6-2 types, there must have been several 0-6-0s for each large loco. The GNR and other companies even built large wheeled versions as "mixed traffic" locos.

 

There is n doubt that John Brighton can put together a very nice model!

[grahame]

Here's my latest modelling project update. It's more scratch-built N/2mm structure construction so is a nice welcome break from the recent procession of steam locos on the thread.

 

This is a small terrace that can be seen in an early 1950s aerial photo in a book I have, but they're gone now. I'm not sure when they were demolished. Certainly the site has since been built on and the new apartment/commercial blocks look very modern - from the last 20 years - so it was possibly there in the 80s before redevelopment of the area. However, this only reference I have is rather fuzzy and from on high so discerning details was difficult and to a large extent I've effectively made it based on other similar terraces I've already made:

 

 

Bearing in mind it is located behind the large warehouse I've recently made and will be almost impossible to see from the layout viewing passion (see aerial photo of the block below) I've deliberately kept the details very simple and basic. No supports/stand-off for the down pipes, plain painted card doors, just a tosh over with a wash for weathering (which fortunately does seem to tone it down quite nicely) and no gutters/downpipes on the extensions. 

 

 

[Hollar]

5 minutes ago, grahame said:

Here's my latest modelling project update. It's more scratch-built N/2mm structure construction so is a nice welcome break from the recent procession of steam locos on the thread.

 

This is a small terrace that can be seen in an early 1950s aerial photo in a book I have, but they're gone now. I'm not sure when they were demolished. Certainly the site has since been built on and the new apartment/commercial blocks look very modern - from the last 20 years - so it was possibly there in the 80s before redevelopment of the area. However, this only reference I have is rather fuzzy and from on high so discerning details was difficult and to a large extent I've effectively made it based on other similar terraces I've already made:

 

 

Bearing in mind it is located behind the large warehouse I've recently made and will be almost impossible to see from the layout viewing passion (see aerial photo of the block below) I've deliberately kept the details very simple and basic. No supports/stand-off for the down pipes, plain painted card doors, just a tosh over with a wash for weathering (which fortunately does seem to tone it down quite nicely) and no gutters/downpipes on the extensions. 

 

 

At last, something I know a bit about . A lovely model of a gully-roofed parapet London terrace - close cousin to the London house I've lived in for 35 years.  Two of your householders are going to dread the coming of winter, because they have no fires - and they will all  suffer with no toilet lean-to stuck on the back of the scullery. 

Actually, it's likely to be two householders per house because these were almost always rented, often to two families even with the smaller ones like these and would be in a shabby state with probably green or brown woodwork.

 

Apart from leaving no scope at all for building a layout, the roofs are a problem for those beneath them.  When we moved in we had to spend a fortune on expertise and sheet lead to get them watertight - especially where the slates/tiles abut the parapet wall.  So the flashing (maybe concrete) should be prominent. After the war they would have been repaired with whatever slates or whatever the landlord could get so there would not be much uniformity .  They may be on the  hidden slope of the roof, but each house would have a hatch opening out from the roof (on the same side as the front door).  These were the burglar's friend for many years as they could trip from house to house along the terrace, taking apart the rotten wood to open them.  The chimneys never match - I'm convinced that one of mine is Jacobean.

 

And if you really want to go the whole Scalefour, there should be a nasty bulge in that great side wall, though how you could model that other than accidentally I haven't a  clue.

 

Having said that, they are lovely houses when maintained properly and we have never seriously contemplated moving and with the middle classes firmly entrenched look good for another 150 years provided there isn't another blitz to bounce them around - and that something doesn't happen to make us rue the lack of foundations.

 

Tone

[grahame]

18 minutes ago, Hollar said:

 Two of your householders are going to dread the coming of winter, because they have no fires - and they will all  suffer with no toilet lean-to stuck on the back of the scullery. 

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean. It's three houses, each with a backdoor, and each with a row of four pots : two for upstairs and two for downstairs rooms. I'll have to assume that the toilets are now indoors as I was going to add lean-to ones outside but there's very little room and they'd never be seen behind the warehouse.

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, westerner said:

Thought I'd post this photo of a sunny day's shunting at Blakeney. All my own work almost. Wagon and Brake van Parkside kits

Pannier Dapol. All weathering by me, Lamp hut Intentio kit weathered by me, Station building scratch built. Scenery erected by me. This sounds awfully big headed but I know Tony likes us to show our own work, and as I don't build locos I thought I'd show what a lot of RTR modellers do.

 

 

I also have detailed the track on the over bridge. the back scene was also painted by moi.

 

Wonderful work Alan,

 

Thanks for showing us.

 

I think you're a lot more than just an 'RTR modeller'. 

 

You prove, along with others, that by exploiting what is available RTR and by combining that with bucket-loads of personal, 'real modelling', you create an entirely-convincing model railway. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I have a copy of an article in Railway Modeller April 2005 Tony, featuring the L&Y 0-6-0s. Covers the Class 27 (the so-called 'A class') and Class 28 with drawings for both; also for the superheated version of the A class with extended smokebox. If you don't have that issue to hand then I'm sure we can sort out getting a copy over to you.

 

Meanwhile ...

 

I was never going to be as fast as you but this is Day 8 (as of ... er ... early hours of this morning!) of my Covid D2 challenge so quite pleased with progress so far. No motor in it yet, mind.

Thanks Graham,

 

Tim Rayner of the RM (a regular reader of Wright Writes) has sent me a digital copy of the article you mention (many thanks again Tim). The drawings are most-useful.

 

I've not actually put it to one side (I often build several locos at once) but today I've concentrated for part of the time on the Nu-Cast/SEF J6 (a much-quicker build). The frames are erected, motor installed and wheels on. I've also laminated the rods in readiness for tomorrow's testing. 

 

I'll post a progress report tomorrow.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, t-b-g said:

One thing we did find with the L & Y 0-6-0 was that he middle tender wheels are slightly higher than the front and back ones. On ours, when it is running, the middle wheels are clear enough of the track to stop them rotating. The design of the kit makes any alteration a major task as getting the wheels out or tinkering with the bearings is impossible without major reconstruction.

 

As I said, I didn't build it and it may be that it was a problem in the construction rather than in the kit design but if I was doing another one, I would make a conventional tender inner frame that screws in, rather than the kit design which is to solder inner tender frames to the floor, put the wheels in then solder the outer frames in.

 

I am sure somebody with Tony W's experience wouldn't have any problem spotting that well in advance! 

Thanks Tony,

 

Forewarned, as they say.

 

On all the six-wheeled tenders I make, the centre axle is always a bit higher (potentially) than the outer two (obviating the dreaded see-saw effect). What I do, whether the frames be inside bearings or outside, is to elongate the centre bearings north/south, so that, effectively, the centre wheels carry no weight, and just go along for the ride. 

 

The same principle applies to my eight-wheeled tenders as well, where the second and third axles carry no weight. It ensures trouble-free running.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Hollar]

35 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean. It's three houses, each with a backdoor, and each with a row of four pots : two for upstairs and two for downstairs rooms. I'll have to assume that the toilets are now indoors as I was going to add lean-to ones outside but there's very little room and they'd never be seen behind the warehouse.

You're right.  35 years and I still don't know the  plumbing.  Thing is, our house has a larger two-storey rear extension - the kitchen wing - which has a high. sturdy chimney stack its own. Hence my miscounting.

 

I understand about the lack of space = scarcely room to hang the tin bath on the wall, but I'm confident that the number of homes in our little 1870 estate that had inside toilet would have been tiny - especially with no rear extension in which to tuck the toilet.  By 1950 most of them would have had 80 years of sooty neglect and indifference.  If they hadn't been so over-engineered they would have fallen to bits.

 

Smashing model though, of a very awkwardly shaped prototype.  And I've never before thought of myself living in a prototype.

 

Tone